Ancient Egyptian pharaohs were mummified and placed in giant pyramids: impressive enough, but not as much as a whole necropolis (city of the dead), complete with a 6,000-warrior army, including chariots, horses and generals, that were placed in the complex of Chinese Emperor Qin — the same Qin who unified China and ushered in the Qin dynasty in the third century B.C. With that kind of firepower, Qin would be assured of ruling the next empire just as he did over the one he was leaving.

On this day, July 11, in 1975, Chinese archaeologists finished their excavations of the “terra-cotta” – clay – statue army. The figures were first discovered by accident by local farmers digging a well in March of the previous year.

The life-size and remarkably detailed figures took 38 years to complete and place inside the tomb. Rather than have every worker complete a whole statue at a time, production was based on the assembly-line technique, with each worker responsible for a certain part. And just to make sure word of its location never got out, the workers were sealed along with the terra cotta army inside the tomb.